


Mind and Heart

by AnonymousLaila



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-18
Updated: 2017-04-17
Packaged: 2018-10-06 23:47:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10347381
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnonymousLaila/pseuds/AnonymousLaila
Summary: Lena Luthor would never willingly join Cadmus and its cause. But what happens when her mother plants a mind control device on her? Suddenly Lena is linked to all these crimes happening across National City, and Kara is left wondering whether the girl she cares so much about has decided to follow in her family's footsteps.





	1. Chapter 1

Alana walked briskly to the main elevators at L-Corp, hot cup of Starbucks in her hand, tapping her foot while she waited for the steel doors to open.

The trip up to the top floor felt longer than usual as Alana contemplated the task in front of her. It was a simple one, but there were many ways for it to go wrong. She couldn’t afford to screw up, not after what had happened last time.

The elevator dinged, opening up, and she made her way to the CEO’s office, pushing open the unlocked door to find her boss sitting at her desk writing on a large desk calendar.

“Good morning, Miss Luthor. Here’s your coffee, ma’am,” Alana chimed as she placed the cup of coffee, black with a dash of cream and skim milk (no sugar, of course) in front of the CEO.

Lena Luthor looked up and managed a small smile at her assistant. “Thank you, Alana.”

Alana stood there in place in the middle of the room, hands dangling idly at her sides, waiting for Lena to just take at least one goddamn sip of her coffee.

“Is there something else, Alana?” Lena asked. She lifted her cup of coffee and finally took a small sip, keeping her bright-eyed gaze at the bespectacled woman in front of her.

“Um, no, Miss Luthor. Sorry, I’ll see myself out.” And Alana walked out of the office as quickly as she had walked in.

Once out of earshot of Lena’s office, Alana reached for the Bluetooth behind her ear. After two rings a woman picked up. “Hello?”

“It’s done, Mrs. Luthor. I planted the chip inside her. Dissolved it into her drink like you ordered.”

“Well done, Alana,” said Lillian Luthor. “Maybe now my daughter will start to show a little more... _obedience_ to her dear mother.”


	2. Chapter 2

THE NEXT DAY

Winn didn’t seem himself at work. When Kara stopped by at the DEO at noon to investigate a possible bomb threat downtown, he looked jittery, unraveled. Periodically, he’d push his chair away from his computer and rest his head in his hands. After it took several attempts for her to get his attention Kara finally asked Winn what was wrong.

“… It’s Lyra. She was arrested last night.”

“ _Arrested_? Why?”

Winn couldn’t hold it in any longer. “The police claimed she robbed a hardware store… I don’t know the specifics but they have surveillance footage on her which is impossible because she and I went out last night and now they have her locked up all alone and there’s no one to bail her out and I know she’s innocent but I don’t know h –“

“Winn… are you absolutely sure she didn’t do it?”

“I think I’d know if my girlfriend was a thief, Kara.”

“You said the police had footage? Maybe it’s corrupted, like the footage that was used to frame Lena Luthor last month. Can’t you hack into the store’s CCTV cameras??

“I haven’t had the time to do so. Things are kinda hectic around here.”

Winn was clearly distraught, but before Kara could console him or give him any word of advice, the screens all around them flashed.

Alex burst into the room. “There was an explosion at National City Bank just now,” she panted, as the TV screens all shouted the same. They all crowded around one of them, watching camera shots of smoke and flames erupting from the newly destroyed building.

“Lucky for us all that building was evacuated fifteen minutes beforehand,” J’onn pointed out as he walked up behind them. “But that luck won’t last. The building looks to be on the verge of collapse. Supergirl should go take care of it.” He turned to Alex. “As for you, Agent Danvers, I am sending a dispatch team to the site for you to lead immediately. Mr. Schott, inner bank surveillance footage before and after the explosion. You know what to do.”

Back at the DEO, after Kara had rescued a group of bystanders by National City Bank from falling chunks of metal and glass, and Alex had salvaged parts of the explosive (and caught a few civilians who decided to take the opportunity to try to rob the bank), they received more news.

“Police have apprehended a suspect that is supposedly linked to the explosion.” J’onn announced. “A Mr. Brian Walters,” an alien appeared on the main screen, “was spotted at the scene running away minutes before the blast. He was also seen near the bank late last night.”

“Hey, I know him,” Alex piped up after placing the bomb fragments on the center table with gloved hands, “He was one of the aliens Cadmus tried to round up during the raids last month. Who would’ve thought he’d turn out to be a terrorist?”

Winn was typing furiously at his computer. “See, uh, I’m not so sure it was him. I hacked into the bank’s CCTV, but a chunk of footage from very early this morning was missing from the system, and it looked like somebody had erased it. So I managed to retrieve the erased footage, and… look.” He turned his screen toward them. A video of a tall, broad figure breaking into the bank with a dark object in its arms played on the screen, the time on the bottom of the video stating that it was 4:53 am. The figure looked up for a millisecond as it walked back out empty-handed two minutes later.

“ _Metallo_?” Kara turned to the others. “He planted the bomb? But how is he still alive?”

J’onn shrugged. “Who knows? But we do know that he couldn’t have been acting alone.”

“This is all Cadmus’ doing,” Alex added in.

Winn shook his head. “Yeahhh…. Not quite, guys.” He punched a few keys on his keyboard. “See, thanks to the trace amounts of Kryptonite left in his body I’ve been able to monitor and track down Metallo’s every move for the past several weeks. And, uh, he doesn’t seem to have been in much contact with Cadmus as far as I can tell. But… guess where his last known whereabouts were before he broke into the bank.” Another video, taking place a few hours before the first, popped up on the screen, this time of Metallo walking into the lobby of a very familiar building late at night. L-Corp.

Everyone looked at Kara.

“No,” she said defiantly. “We’re not doing this again.”

“Kara…” Alex started.

“Lena had nothing to do with it. She wouldn’t be involved with something as terrible as this.”

“Kara… there’s more.” Winn clicked to another piece of footage, one taken from Lena’s office a few minutes after the first. There stood the Luthor, smiling as she handed Metallo a small cardboard box.  Metallo appeared to say something and Lena laughed. Kara couldn’t recognize the expression on Lena’s face, but it was undeniably her.

Winn stood up and walked to the table in the center of the room, where remnants of the bomb sat. He picked up a cubic piece. “This fuse box right here is made from a subsidiary of L-Corp. No other company makes it in this particular size or shape.”

“That means nothing,” Kara protested. “Almost everything in this city is produced by L-Crop. Check the video surveillance, maybe it was tampered with like the last time.”

“Already did.” Winn’s face was solemn, like he didn’t want to believe it himself.

“So Lena Luthor gave Metallo a bomb to set off at the bank, then pinned it on someone else? That doesn’t make sense, why would she do that?”

“It wasn’t just anyone she pinned it on,” J'onn said, “She framed an alien.”

“So? Lena has nothing against aliens. She’s gone against her mother’s anti-alien crimes multiple times. She helped us stop Cadmus from launching that ship of aliens into space!”

Alex put a hand on her sister’s shoulder. “We get it, Kara. But the facts here don’t lie.”

“So what are the facts saying? That Lena is… is helping Cadmus commit crimes and frame aliens for it? For what?”

“Oh my god, Lyra!” Winn suddenly shouted, and everyone turned to him. “Sorry, it’s just… I think the same thing might have happened to Lyra. She was framed for that robbery, I knew it!” He turned his attention back to his computer with anewed determination.  
   
“To answer your question, Kara,” J’onn started,  “Lena Luthor is probably assisting Cadmus in evoking the same kind of anti-extraterrestial rhetoric that Lex had tried to spread in Metropolis. If everyone starts to see the aliens in National City as criminals, they’d be more accepting of Cadmus’ acts of terror.”

“But Lena wouldn’t have anything to do with that. She’s not her brother and she’s not with Cadmus and you all know that!”

Alex gazed at the bomb’s fragments lying on the table in front of her. “The thing is, Kara, from what we’ve seen today, we really don’t know anything about Lena Luthor.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if the chapters are so short, this is a fairly short fic. Anyways, I hope this chapter wasn't too confusing..
> 
> EDIT: I posted this before we found out that Lyra is an actual thief lol. But just pretend for the sake of this fic that she isn't.


	3. Chapter 3

The first thing Kara did after leaving the DEO was to fly to L-Corp. The cool, fresh breeze running throughout the city did little to mask the smell of smoke and ashes that lingered in the air from the bank explosion. She decided to go see Lena as Kara, walking into the sleek building with her glasses perched on her nose, her hair up in its bun.

“Good day, Miss Danvers,” the burly doorman in the lobby greeted her warmly, tipping his hat in her direction. Kara visited L-Corp so often that most of the staff knew her by name.

“Hello, Bruno! I’m here to see Miss Luthor.”

Just like that, Lena’s secretary, Jess showed up by the main desk. “Hi Kara! Miss Luthor just came out of her board meeting. You can go up to her now.”

But when she rode the elevator to the top floor, Kara was faced with Alana, Lena’s other secretary. “Miss Luthor is not taking any visitors at the moment,” Alana told her, blocking access to the hallway leading to the CEO’s office.

Kara tried to sidestep her to no avail. “But downstairs I was told –“

“She is incredibly busy today with an insanely packed schedule. She hasn’t got time for visitors.”

“But this is pretty urgent. I have to talk to Lena right away.”

“If you’d like you can leave a message and I’ll give it to her, though I can’t guarantee she’ll be able to get back to you anytime soon.”

But Kara wasn’t about to let Lena’s secretary know that Lena was suspected of assisting in the bank explosion. Appearing to lose her resolve, Kara threw her hands up. “You know what, I’ll come back some other time.” And she took the elevator back down.

Kara wasn’t giving up, though. If she couldn’t get to Lena as Kara Danvers, maybe Supergirl would have better luck.

Seconds later, Supergirl hovered over Lena’s open balcony and peeked through the open glass door. The raven-haired beauty was pacing her office, appearing to be finishing up a phone call. Kara couldn’t help it – her super hearing picked up on the conversation (though she restrained herself from listening in on the person on the other line).

“Yes…. alright, I will get that done as soon as possible.” Lena’s voice was toneless, monotonous. “But do you really think that is a good idea?” There was a long pause as the other person spoke. “Okay. You’re right. You always know what’s best for me, Mother.”

Kara stiffened slightly. She understood now why Lena didn’t want to see anyone - she was on the phone with Lillian. The young C EO’s interactions with her mother were always tense, Kara knew that from firsthand experience. But this conversation seemed… off.

“Have a safe trip, Mother….I will…I love you, too. Bye now.”

Kara raised an eyebrow at the hollow declaration of love. She waited until Lena hung up and slowly flew in, accidently startling the latter.

Lena whipped around and quickly stepped back. “Supergirl?”

“Hi, Lena, sorry to just drop in like this.”

Lena managed a terse smile, her eyes unusually devoid of their usual luster. “That’s… quite all right. So, what brings you here?”

“I came here to talk to you about the explosion at National City Bank.”

“Oh… there weren’t any casualties, were there? I haven’t been paying attention to any news updates.”

Kara shook her head. “No, thank God.”

“I heard they caught the guy who did it… some alien…” Lena waved her hand flippantly in the air. “Brad something or other.”

“Brian.”

“Brian. Right. Anyways, I’m happy he’s off the streets. Wouldn’t want someone like that roaming around the city.”

“Actually, evidence was just uncovered that he didn’t do it.” Kara told Lena about the bank surveillance footage, about Metallo being the one to plant the bomb. Lena didn’t seem at all surprised to hear any of this, not even at the implication that Metallo was alive.

“And they’re saying… that you had something to do with it as well. That you gave Metallo the explosive.”

“Are they really? Shocking. Well, I didn’t.”

“Lena, you were seen on tape with Metallo hours beforehand, giving him something that seemed like it could have been an explosive.”

Lena sat at her desk and shuffled papers around, avoiding Kara’s questioning gaze. “So you think I was involved.” There was neither a question nor an accusation in her statement.

“I don’t. But I just want to hear the truth from you.”

“I gave Metallo something that my mother asked for. Whatever he decided to do with it – build a bomb and blow up a bank or whatever - has nothing to do with me. Now, if you excuse me, Supergirl, I have work to do. This annual budget report isn’t going to complete itself.”

“You don’t care that an innocent man may be going to jail for all this?”

“I didn’t say that I don’t care, just that it has nothing to do with me. If the alien is as innocent as you say then the evidence will be in his favor. Now please, Supergirl, I really do need to get this done.”

Kara was taken aback by Lena’s flippant demeanor. Lena was probably not in the best mood after the phone conversation with her mother, but even at her worst she never blew Kara – or Supergirl for that matter – off so carelessly like that. Yet there she was, sitting at her desk, engrossed in her report and acting as though Supergirl wasn’t standing right in front of her. So Kara got the hint and left. She really didn’t know what to think about what just took place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How did y'all like Jess the secretary's 2 second appearance?


	4. Chapter 4

 

“Kara? Kara… not the concrete again.” Alex stood in the doorway of the DEO training room, watching as her sister landed fist after fist on giant blocks of gray cement, smashing them to bits.

Kara paused for a second to look over at Alex, then resumed her loud, tense punching. “You know, I could use some harder material to work with. Diamond, perhaps. Much more satisfying to break.”

“Listen, I know you’re upset about the Lena thing.”

“Upset? Ha, what makes you say that?” Kara picked up one concrete slab with her right hand and flung it across the room. She then flew after it, stopping it from smashing against the far wall with her steel forearms crossed together. Pieces of concrete rained on the room, some landing on her caramel-colored hair. She lowered herself down with a sigh, slamming her red boots onto the ground, avoiding Alex’s concerned gaze. “So what are you guys going to do now? Have Lena arrested?”

“J’onn says the evidence we have isn’t quite incriminating enough to warrant an arrest.” 

“But it’s enough for _you_ guys to think she’s guilty.”

“Kara… she could very well be up to something with her mother and Cadmus. We just don’t have all the information right now.”

“And that’s exactly what I had tried today,” Kara huffed, “to get info. But she won’t see me, or even answer my texts!”

“Kara, she’s the CEO of a multi-billion dollar company. You can’t expect her to always have the time to talk to you. She’s bound to be busy sometimes.”

“But she’s never too busy to see _me_! Not to sound all needy or anything, but…when I went to her office – hell, when I flew in there as Supergirl, she was all… distant... and didn’t want to talk. She blew me off! Even at her lowest Lena has _never_ been like that around me before.” The more Kara thought about the interaction, the more it upset her. Lena’s indifference to the near devastation of the bank explosion, the way she brushed off anything Kara had to say, Kara wasn’t sure which aspects of the short meeting at L-Corp was more painful to replay over and over in her head.

Alex shrugged. “She probably doesn’t have any use for you anymore, now that you've helped clear her name.”

Kara winced at the idea of Lena using her. “No, something has to be up, something… _must_ be wrong and I need to get to the bottom of it.”

“Kara, for your own sake, I don’t want you to go see Lena Luthor anymore.”

“Why not? She’s my _friend_!”

“Exactly. You’re blinded by your feelings for her, just like I was with Jeremiah, which means you won’t be able to see the truth and it’s going to hurt you later on, like it hurt me.”

Kara stuck her bottom jaw out and crossed her arms. “What if this was Maggie we were talking about, huh? If everyone thought she was up to something nefarious and I told you that you couldn’t see her?” Kara knew it was a bit of a low blow on her part to bring Maggie into it, but she was desperate to make a point.

“That’s not a fair comparison. Maggie is my _girlfriend_ , and –“ Alex trailed off, her ongoing argument cut short as she met Kara’s hard glare.

“- and she’s not a Luthor, is that what you’re saying?”

“No… no, that’s not what I’m saying.” As she faced her little sister, Alex saw in those blue Kryptonian eyes an undercurrent of pain lying beneath the frustration. Heard, in Kara’s shaky breaths, an exhaustion not wrought on by throwing blocks of cement around for the better part of an hour.

This Lena situation was taking a more profound toll on her sister than Alex had originally thought. Kara was trusting and loyal to a fault, that much was always apparent about the younger Danvers. She would circle the galaxy and back for the people she cared about and would never dare to rest if she ever thought any her friends were in harm’s way, or were unjustly treated. But Alex had never seen this sort of agitation in Kara on James’ behalf. Or Winn’s. It was then that Alex understood something. Something she wasn’t sure Kara herself had realized yet.

 “You know what… you’re right. I really don’t have a right to stop you from seeing Lena. But _please_ be careful around her.”

“Lena would never do anything to hurt me,” Kara insisted, the slightest of tremors edging her words as she spoke them, as though her very voice was trying to testify to Lena’s innocence. It gave all the more credibility to what Alex was starting to realize. 

“Well, I really hope you’re right about that, Kara.” And with that, a more enlightened Alex walked out of the training room, leaving Kara alone among broken concrete and her own bewildered thoughts.

It was Winn’s phone call that forced Kara out of the funk she was in a half hour later. “Guess what?” He asked ecstatically. He didn’t wait for her reply. “I did what you said and looked into the hardware store security footage from last night, and you know what I saw? No Lyra, of course, since she doesn’t appear on film, but I saw the the Cyborg Henshaw’s signature on them! So I decrypted it and found the actual raw footage, and discovered that it was actually him that robbed the hardware store, not Lyra! I’m going to bail her out now as I speak.”

“Winn, that’s… that’s awesome!” Kara managed. She tried to sound happy for her friend, and she _was_ happy, really.

He, however, caught the lack of enthusiasm in Kara’s voice. “Still bummed about the lil Luthor, huh?”

“I just wish Lena’s innocence could be proven, too. But I’m happy for you and Lyra. She’s really sweet.”

“She’s just amazing. And, no offense, but she’s a much more interesting alien than you are. Especially now that she has a criminal record.”

“Hey, offense taken!” Winn laughed. “So, do you and Lyra wanna come over and join me and Mon-El for movie night? I know Mon-El likes to talk during movies, but I’ll duct tape his mouth shut for you if you want.”

Winn didn’t seem too fond of the idea. “Yeah… sorry, Kara, but I was planning on it just being me and Lyra tonight. I mean, she did spend the night in jail. Think that’s enough excitement for her for the week.”

“Alright, but the offer still stands.”

“Thanks, Kara. I gotta go now. Lyra wants me to take pictures of her while she’s holding stuff so they look like they’re floating. I swear, having a girlfriend that doesn’t show up on cameras is the craziest thing ever.”

 

 ------------------------------

 

“So, what do you want to watch next?” Kara asked Mon-El as the end credits for _Forrest Gump_ rolled down the TV screen at her apartment later that night. Movie nights always took her mind off the day’s stressful events, especially when they consisted of Tom Hanks.

Mon-El leaned forward on the couch as he surveyed the stack of DVDs on the table in front of them. “Um... this looks interesting,” he answered, holding up a DVD case he had pulled out from the middle.

Kara looked at his selection. “ _Mean Girls_? Oh, I don’t think you’re quite ready to witness this cinematic masterpiece just yet.”

“Why?” Mon-El surveyed the case cover. “What’s so mean about these girls anyway?”

“I guess you’re gonna have to see for yourself.” Deciding that maybe it _was_ time for Mon-El’s life to be changed by _Mean Girls_ , Kara popped the movie in the DVD player.

As the previews were playing, Kara’s phone rang. Her heart skipped a beat as she saw the four-lettered name flashing on its screen. She tapped “answer” a little too quickly for her own liking.

“Hello?”

“Hi Kara,” Lena’s voice sounded drained, but Kara was thrilled to hear it all the same. “How have you been?”

“I’ve been better. I heard you were really busy. How was your day?”

“Hectic, to say the least. Listen, I know it’s late, and I’m sorry to ask on such short notice, but I need to get in touch with Supergirl. Do you think you can have her meet me at my office tonight?”

Kara’s insides did cartwheels. Lena wanted to see her! She looked over at Mon-El, who was currently pretending to be engrossed in the movie’s opening credits playing on the TV, though she knew he was listening in on the conversation. “Um, sure. I’ll fly over – I’ll have _her_ fly over there as soon as possible.”

Smiling, she ended the call, then told Mon-El that she had to go on Supergirl business. “But you can watch the first few minutes of the movie without me. I’ve seen this a million times and can quote the whole thing by heart.”

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poor Lena

The 8.3 second flight from her apartment to L-Corp felt too long for Kara. She had considered stopping by a takeout place to get some food for Lena, since the fact that the CEO was up late in her office meant she had probably missed dinner, but Lena sounded as though she wanted to see Supergirl as soon as possible. Kara herself was brimming too vigorously with the anticipation of seeing her friend to think of what to get her.

Kara flew up to the balcony outside of Lena’s office. After peering through the glass windows to see whether the CEO was there, she swept inside. “Hi, Lena.”

Lena turned her attention away from the news playing on the TV mounted on the wall to face the red-and blue clad girl now in her office. “Supergirl.” She smoothed the edges of her already impeccable black sleeveless blouse, smoothing down the sides of her sleek bun.

Kara took a cursory glance around the spotless office. From the takeout container in the small trashcan next to the large white desk it looked like Kara didn’t have to worry about whether Lena had eaten. “Kara Danvers said you wanted to see me?” She asked, in the assured tone she always used in her caped alter-ego.

“Yes, I am so grateful you were able to make it here. I apologize for practically pushing you out of my office earlier.” Lena walked over to her desk, picking up a beige portfolio. “See, I’ve been trying to amend our… our budget report, what with L-Corp recently purchasing the laboratory that the city was about to shut down.” She showed Kara some of the papers within the portfolio to prove her point.

“L-Corp bought Mercury Labs?” Before getting fired, Kara had written an extensive article on the possible shutting down of what was known to be the only lab in National City that ran blood tests on non-human blood samples. It was also the facility known for hiring non-humans who had trouble finding employment anywhere else. Kara and her friends at the DEO were not happy to hear the news.

Well, at least now she sort of knew why Lena was in such a tense state in their earlier meeting, and why she looked so exhausted now.

“We managed to acquire it in a fierce bidding war with our competitors. I’m reopening the lab next week in a grand opening ceremony, where I’ll be renaming it to fit our brand. Luthor Labs has a nicer ring to it, don’t you think?”

Kara furrowed her brows. “You’re renaming it… _Luthor_ Labs?” She thought nervously of what the DEO, not to mention the entire city, would think of such a name change. “Do you really think that’s such a good idea?”

“I figured you’d say that. The change would no doubt raise a few eyebrows, but I am past the point of hiding cowardly from my last name. This company has done many great things for National City, and it is time this city realizes that it was all made possible by a Luthor.”

“Can’t imagine many people seeing things that way, though, Lena.”

Lena looked up at her super friend, cocking her head ever so slightly, her pursed mouth twisted upwards in a smile that was both unrecognizable and vaguely familiar to Kara. “And that’s exactly why I asked you here, Supergirl. I’d like for you to be there at the ceremony. With your endorsement I believe more people would warm up to the new name, and to me. If they do not, at least I will know that no harm will come to anyone in attendance.”

Lena suddenly turned her attention back to the TV, and Kara’s eyes followed suit. The news had shifted from the weather forecast to breaking news: that of a speeding car chase a few blocks downtown. The NCPD had spent twenty minutes flagging down a blue Honda that had been going 85 at a 35 mile zone and almost hit three people and a tree. (“I swear I don’t know what happened!” the miscreant driver, who Kara recognized as a Danlon she saw sometimes at the alien bar, protested to the police officers, “I lost control of the wheel and I tried to brake but it was like my car had a mind of its own…” )

Lena watched the news story intently, _tsk-i_ ng with thinly veiled disgust as she did so. “No respect for laws, or the safety of other citizens,” she muttered.

She turned back to Kara, strange smile back on display. “So what say you, Supergirl? Will you come to the grand reopening next Monday?”

Kara was caught momentarily off guard by the smugness in Lena’s face. As if Lena knew Kara would say yes just because she wanted her to. And of course Kara wanted to say yes. She cherished the times Lena asked for her protection at one of L-Corp’s events, be it a fundraiser or a business gala. It was a sign of how much the CEO trusted her, of how much faith she put into the superhero’s ability to keep her safe.

And if Kara were to be honest with herself, she could spend every moment of every day making sure that not a single strand of hair on Lena’s head would ever be in harm’s way.

But once again it seemed as though Lena was deliberately putting herself up for scrutiny in the public eye. As if there wasn’t enough buzz around her already at the DEO because of her possible tie to the bank explosion, now she wanted to name a new facility after her infamous family? Kara knew this wasn’t going to look good for Lena.

“I’d love to, but I’m just not entirely sold on… Luthor Labs. Why not just L-Labs?”

“The new name stays,” Lena said firmly. “But if it is of any consolation to you, I have no intention of letting go of any of the lab’s current employees, human or alien. They’ll just be transferred onto L-Corp’s payroll instead. I will make sure to announce that during the ceremony.”

Well, that _did_ assuage one of Kara’s fears.

“That sounds… fair to me. I’d love to attend the reopening.”

Lena grinned. “Then that settles it. Will you be there at the lab at ten o-clock Monday morning?”

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” And Kara meant it.

It wasn’t until she made the 8.3 second long trip back to her apartment that Kara realized why Lena’s uncharacteristic grin unnerved her so during their little meeting. It was a smile she often saw on the face of Lillian Luthor.

\------------------- 

As soon as Supergirl left the office, Lena collapsed on her plush chair and stared at her phone lying on the white desk. The strongest compulsion to pick the phone up, to dial a certain number, overcame her. It was the same voice of compulsion that had driven her to push Supergirl away earlier that day, the same that had then made her summon Supergirl tonight.

_Call her_ , that little voice in her head chimed. Her hands tensed, her fingers itched with tiny tingling sensations, her head pounding increasingly with every passing second.

Lena tried to fight it. Though exactly what ‘it’ was that she wanted to fight she could not say.

But eventually, the compulsion won over, and Lena dove for the phone. After looking out over the balcony to make sure the girl in red and blue was officially gone, she dialed her second most recent contact.

“Hello, Mother,” Lena greeted monotonically when Lillian answered the call.

“Lena. How have things gone with our Kryptonian friend?”

“She accepted the invitation to the ceremony.”

“Well done, my daughter.”

“Will you be there as well?”

“Oh, I wish I could, but I have other business to attend to.”

Lena looked over at the TV on her wall, which now bore news of two more speeding car chases in other parts of the city, their stories suspiciously similar to the first. “I see.”

“But I am sure you can handle things on your own.”

“Of course I can, Mother.”

“Will we be having our scheduled talk tomorrow night as well?”

Supergirl’s words from a few minutes before resurfaced in her mind. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

“Good. Now tell me you love me.”

There was a pause. Lillian’s order echoed in Lena’s head like an annoying jingle as she hesitated to respond.

“I love you, Mother.” Even in her mentally compromised state the words felt wrong to Lena.

“I love you too, Lena dear.”

Another pause.

“You should go home and get some rest now,” Lillian said. “Good night.”

“Good night.”

Lena hung up, letting the phone slip from her fingers. She propped her pale elbows on the desk and rested her head in her hands. The pounding in her head had subsided, replaced now with the loud slamming of her heart against her chest.

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry to have included Alana the treacherous secretary in this. But on the bright side now we have more a reason to hate that traitor.


End file.
